The Response

Today on the show we've brought on Andy C. from Poor Prole's Almanac to talk about a wide range of fascinating topics — from agroecology and sound ecological practices regarding the growing of food and the stewardship of land, to native seed bombing and other forms of mutual aid and disaster preparation, to the difference between right-wing prepperism and left-wing prepperism, to why building collective power and resilience is the best way to ensure that we not only survive the slow but inevitable societal collapses that have already begun — but to thrive through them and build a better world out of the ashes of the old. Resources: Poor Prole's Almanac on Instagram and Twitter Episode credits: Host, producer, and editor: Robert Raymond Presenter and executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: "Meet you on the other side" by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net.

For the past couple of years, the City of Atlanta, George, has been pushing forward a project nicknamed "Cop City" — a tactical training compound featuring a mock city which has been referred to as a kind of war base where police will learn military-style maneuvers. The 90 million dollar compound would be built on somewhere between 60 and 300 acres of forest in Atlanta — a space known as the Weelaunee Forest, one of the largest urban forests in the country. As a result of this controversial and extremely unpopular development, a grassroots response has taken shape to stop "Cop City." One of the responses has been by those known as forest protectors, forest defenders, or tree dwellers — activists who have camped out in the forest hoping to stop the clearcutting, bulldozing, and destruction of the forest from happening. On January 18th, one of these forest protectors, known by their forest name "Tortuguita," or "Little Turtle" was killed by police during a raid in the forest. This killing has launched the story of "Cop City" — and the grassroots movement fighting against it — into national and even international headlines. In this episode of The Response we've brought on two individuals who are part of that movement to break things down for us. Jesse Pratt López is a photographer, documentarian, and organizer involved in the stop cop city movement based in Atlanta. Nolan Huber-Rhoades is a community journalist and filmmaker currently working on a documentary on "Cop City" who has also been covering the events since April of 2021. What are the forces behind "Copy City"? What has the community response looked like — not just to the development itself but also to the brutal police response which has terrorized those protecting the forest? And how does the Stop Cop City movement bring together police abolition, climate change, land back, surveillance capitalism, and the right to protest all in one place? We explore all of these questions and more in this episode with Jesse and Nolan. Resources: The Atlanta Solidarity Fund GoFundMe for Family of Manuel "Tortuguita" Páez Terán Food not bombs Atlanta Community Movement Builders Defend the Atlanta Forest Little Turtle's War published by Bitter Southerner You can find Jesse Pratt López on Twitter and Instgram & Nolan Huber-Rhoades on Twitter and Instagram. Episode credits: Host, producer, and editor: Robert Raymond Presenter and executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: "Meet you on the other side" by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net.

From a chicken coop providing omelet breakfasts to underserved communities, to a network of farms stretching from Oakland to East Palo Alto, to a night watch program aimed at keeping the police accountable and protecting marginalized communities from police violence, to providing grassroots disaster relief during the most recent storms in the Bay Area — The Hood Squad seems to do it all. In this episode, we've brought on JT, Savage, and Nay from The Hood Squad, a mutual aid and police accountability organization based out of the Bay Area. Through their six principles of peace, love, harmony, balance, unity, and justice, the Hood Squad aims to shift the systematic oppression which has targeted the disenfranchised communities of the world. We discuss their origins as a grassroots art and media collective, their expansion into a very broad array of mutual aid work including police patrols or "night shifts" and disaster relief work, and how the Hood Squad reinvests into their community with farming and training for self-sufficiency, self-awareness, and communal responsibility. Follow Tha Hood Squad on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube. And support their work at thahoodsquad.com Episode credits: Host, producer, and editor: Robert Raymond Presenter and exectuvie producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: "Meet you on the other side" by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net exploring how communities are building collective resilience in the wake of disasters

Today on the show, we've brought on Douglas Rushkoff to talk about his new book, Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires. Douglas is Professor of Media Theory and Digital Economics at Queens/CUNY and a research fellow at the Institute for the Future. Named one of the world's ten most influential intellectuals by MIT, he hosts the Team Human podcast and has written many award-winning books including: Team Human, based on his podcast, as well as the bestsellers Present Shock, Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus, Program or Be Programmed, Life Inc, and Media Virus. He coined such concepts as "viral media," "screenagers," and "social currency," and has been a leading voice for applying digital media toward social and economic justice. In this interview we explore the strange, dark expressions of AI futurism and tech utopianism growing within the billionaire class. Island bunkers, missions to mars, the Metaverse and the impulse to escape in the face of looming climate and social collapse. These are the fantasies of the rich and powerful, but there is an alternative path for humanity, one anchored in mutual aid, disaster collectivism, and human interdependence. We'll explore all of this and more in this episode. Episode credits: Host and exectutive producer: Tom Llewellyn Presenter and editor: Robert Raymond Theme Music: "Meet you on the other side" by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net exploring how communities are building collective resilience in the wake of disasters

How do we respond to natural disasters? What comes to mind? Large relief organizations like the American Red Cross? Or perhaps the Federal Emergency and Management Agency? Well, those images are certainly part of the story — but they're not the whole story. In our new podcast series, The Response, we aim to share a perspective that isn't extensively covered in the mainstream media. Specifically, we ask the question: how do communities come together in the aftermath of disasters — often in the face of inadequate official response — to take care of each other? In the first-ever episode of The Response, we began to answer that question by taking a deep dive into the Rockaways Peninsula in New York City, to explore how, in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, a grassroots network of activists and volunteers emerged to coordinate one of the most effective relief efforts in the city. The group became known as Occupy Sandy, and in this episode, we tell their story, focusing on the personal narratives of three New Yorkers who were thrown into this spontaneous relief effort. We'll explore how, in the midst of the unfolding catastrophe, unlikely friendships were formed, deep bonds were cultivated, and a perhaps dormant side of New York City was awakened — one based on collectivity, mutual aid, and solidarity. Episode Credits: Producer, writer, audio engineer: Robert Raymond Executive producer and host: Tom Llewellyn Field producers: Paige Ruane and Jack McDonald Music by: Chris Zabriskie Pele Lanterns The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net exploring how communities are building collective resilience in the wake of disasters

Today on the show, we've brought on Genean from Common Humanity Collective — a mutual aid organization based out of California's Bay Area. When the pandemic began in 2020, it felt like there was a huge spike in mutual aid efforts — in fact we did an entire series of episodes on many of the community-led responses to COVID that year including an audio documentary that highlighted the work done by a local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, in Chico, California. But where are things now? What have mutual aid organizations, and the left more broadly, learned from the last couple of years? How do we continue to make sure that the mutual in mutual aid remains a central pillar of our efforts? And how can we politicize our work within the communities we're engaging with? We explore these pressing questions in this week's interview — along with a lot other stuff on mutual aid and ways to plug in. Episode credits: Host and editor: Robert Raymond Presenter and executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: "Meet you on the other side" by Cultivate Beats Additional Resources: Check out Common Humanity Collective and get more information on their air purifier build coming up on December 17th and their mask build on January 22nd on their website. And make sure to follow them on Twitter, Instagram, and on Mastadon. Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net exploring how communities are building collective resilience in the wake of disasters

This week, we're bringing you the first installment of a new series that we'll occasionally produce: Disaster Dispatches. Each dispatch focuses on a specific disaster and will feature a short conversation with someone within or near a specific disaster zone who can provide insight into how things look on the ground and, in many cases, share first-hand accounts of the response. First up, we have Meena Palaniappan joining us once again, this time to talk about the recent 5.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the city of Cianjur, which is in the West Java region of Indonesia, on Nov 21st. Meena Palaniappan is the Founder and CEO of Atma Connect. She's an Ashoka Fellow, Fulbright Fellow, and awardee of the Million Lives Club. Since 2014, Meena has led Atma Connect to become a globally recognized technology company focused on helping vulnerable people connect, neighbor-to-neighbor, by sharing practical information and solutions, taking collective action, and building community resilience. AtmaConnect built and deploys AtmaGo, a neighborhood-level mobile app in Indonesia and Puerto Rico for users to share real-time information and solutions to better prepare for disasters, improve their access to basic needs, and address chronic vulnerabilities. AtmaGo has reached over 10 million people in Indonesia and Puerto Rico. Make sure to check out our full-length interview with Meena, where we take a deep dive into her work with Atma Connect more broadly. Episode credits: Host and editor: Robert Raymond Presenter and executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: "Meet you on the other side" by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net exploring how communities are building collective resilience in the wake of disasters

The last decade has shown us that information on social media cannot always be trusted. In fact, it's oftentimes weaponized by nefarious forces. So how do we ensure that the information that is being shared during particularly sensitive periods — such as during natural disasters — is accurate and timely? Enter Atma Connect. Atma Connect on an award-winning organization building the digital infrastructure to connect people together so they can share vital information and create bottom-up change. Meena Palaniappan is the Founder and CEO of Atma Connect. She's an Ashoka Fellow, Fulbright Fellow, and awardee of the Million Lives Club. Since 2014, Meena has led Atma Connect to become a globally recognized technology company focused on helping vulnerable people connect, neighbor-to-neighbor, by sharing practical information and solutions, taking collective action, and building community resilience. AtmaConnect built and deploys AtmaGo, a neighborhood-level mobile app in Indonesia and Puerto Rico for users to share real-time information and solutions to better prepare for disasters, to improve their access to basic needs, and to address chronic vulnerabilities. AtmaGo has reached over 10 million people in Indonesia and Puerto Rico. Episode credits: Host and exectutive producer: Tom Llewellyn Presenter and editor: Robert Raymond Theme Music: "Meet you on the other side" by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net exploring how communities are building collective resilience in the wake of disasters

Mutual aid is a concept and practice that has come up many times in the stories we tell on The Response — so we thought it would be helpful to devote an entire episode to exploring what mutual aid is with someone who is deeply immersed in it on the ground. Joshua Potash — an anti-capitalist abolitionist based in New York City. Joshua co-founded Washington Square Park Mutual Aid which provides free food, clothing, and various supplies once a week in the New York City park. They also co-host events like film screenings, skill shares, and various trainings. The group was founded in response to NYPD violence with the aim of creating a counter-narrative and being a community hub for folks in the park and surrounding area. In this episode, we explore some of the history and theory behind mutual aid and how it presents a counternarrative to capitalist ideology and a practical path away from it. We also learn about Joshua's work on the ground in New York City and discuss the concepts of municipalism, police abolition, and much more. Episode credits: Host and editor: Robert Raymond Presenter and executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: "Meet you on the other side" by Cultivate Beats Additional Resources: Joshua Potash on Twitter, Instagram, and Substack Washington Square Park Mutual Aid Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net exploring how communities are building collective resilience in the wake of disasters

In the second of this 2-part series of The Response, we pick up where we left off in Episode 1 and continue our deep dive into how communities are responding to the growing abortion access crisis in the United States, sharing the stories of those impacted and highlighting a number of radical grassroots, mutual aid, and solidaristic efforts aimed at helping people access abortion in the places where it's currently outlawed or restricted. Abortion access has always been limited here in the United States, but since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June of this year and the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision held that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion — things have gotten dramatically worse — especially in parts of the southern United States, the Great Plains, and parts of the midwest. In the face of trigger laws banning and criminalizing abortion in many states — as well as state-sanctioned harassment and targeted campaigns against people seeking abortions — the centuries-old movement for reproductive rights and justice has only grown and strengthened. This movement takes many forms, and in the second part of this series we're going to explore mutual aid efforts focusing on medical abortion pills and emergency contraception. You can listen to Part 1 of this series here. Episode credits: Series producer and writer: Robert Raymond Host and executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: "Meet you on the other side" by Cultivate Beats Additional music: Chris Zabriskie, Do Make Say Think, and Pele Original artwork was created by Bethan Mure This series features: Julie Amaon: Family medicine physician and the medical director for Just the Pill Jenice Fountain: Executive Director of Yellowhammer Fund Gulf South Plan B: Mutual Aid organization that distributes free emergency contraception in Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi Angel Jones: Recipient of medical abortion pills Laurie Roberts: Executive Director of Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund Additional Resources: Lists of Abortion Funds by state/region: https://abortionfunds.org/ https://apiaryps.org/pso-list The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net exploring how communities are building collective resilience in the wake of disasters